August 6, 2012

The shooting at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple yesterday -- six worshipers dead, along with the gunman -- is a devastation; horrible and heartwrenching. The Pandeist community grieves for their suffering. It initially appears that this attack was against the 'otherness' of the Sikhs, who are often mistaken for practitioners of Islam, a religion which draws a certain automatic distaste from many 'heartland' Americans. I am reminded that one of the first things to happen in reaction to the September 11 attacks -- a Sikh storekeeper was shot by an ignorant person of Christian persuasion. But Sikhism is nothing like Islam. Indeed, Sikhism has nearly 30 million people -- more than Mormonism or Judaism -- and yet many people, probably most Americans, remain wholly ignorant of it. So let's learn about Sikhism, why don't we? Whatever feelings people may have on the more barbaric doctrines attributed to Islam, they must realize that Sikhism is a completely different, peaceable faith. Among the core beliefs of Sikhism are the equality of all human races, that women have equal status and equal rights, and keeping a simple diet including practicing vegetarianism. Sikhism is a peaceable and generally commendable philosophy, sharing many concepts of equality and peacefulness with Pandeism. And as a Pandeist, I will stand with tolerant and loving adherents to Sikhism, Taoism, Buddhism, and other such faiths before I stand with any religion tending to give rise to bigots and hatemongers, no matter how powerful that religion may be.

As for the shooter, last I checked his identification was being referred to as 'tentative' -- but he was reported as well to have had radical (whatever that means) and white supremacist views, and that he'd had run-ins with the law before. His religious affiliation has not been reported, but the probabilities are pretty clear when it comes to a "thirty-something white male" in Wisconsin shooting up a Sikh temple.... But early reports from victims calling for help from the scene seem to indicate multiple shooters, and I have a subtle fear that perhaps there were multiple shooters, but authorities will pin it all on the one, to quell panic.

The other horrible news of the day is that Oklahoma is burning. Large portions of the state are ablaze, and there seems to be not much anybody can do about it. Firefighting resources are already stretched thin to the bone, and neighboring states are having their own wildfires to contend with. This, by the way, is what "Global Warming" looks like, in case anybody was wondering. Heat. Drought. Fire. Death. And ironically, this comes just a week after a group of scientists who have generally been Global Warming deniers, and who were funded by Global Warming deniers, came out with a report indicating that their own independent review of the data shows that Global Warming is real, and is abetted by human pollution. Even more ironic, then, how the most Christian parts of the US, having ignored their Bible's command to 'shepherd the Earth' now suffer so devastatingly for their pollution of it. And I couldn't help but think, global warming is killing people; 'lone gunmen' are killing people; all man's wars are killing people; and yet 'gay marriage' (or 'gay' anything) is even an issue?

But then, at the end of the day, after all the grief and sorrow and exasperation with mankind.... there was a moment of beauty. The new Mars rover, Curiosity, set down on its extraplanetary home, and began transmitting images back to Earth from a world untouched by any hint of human strife and prideful error. And that, well, that just gave me a glimmering of hope.

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Question of the day: Supposing tax returnrevelations (or something worse) force Mitt Romney to withdraw as the Republican presidential candidate, who will (or who ought) Republicans pick to replace him as their nominee? Ron Paul? Gary Johnson? Rick Santorum? Newt Gingrich? Maybe a non-candidate for this cycle such as Chris Christie?

locke baron says re August 6, 2012: Hmmm. Should Romney be forced to withdraw, I can only hope that Johnson or Huntsman would become the new candidate - or failing that, Paul. I really don't want to consider America under the rather authoritarian Santorum, or the ethically bankrupt Gingrich. If I were a betting type, I'd guess Obama will win this one regardless - but all the same...